The Manila Times

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NTF-Elcac condemns NPA killing of alleged intelligence asset in Negros Occidental

MANILA, Philippines —The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-Elcac) on Tuesday condemned the New People’s Army’s (NPA) admission that it killed a civilian it accused of being a government intelligence asset in Calatrava, Negros Occidental. In a statement, the NTF-Elcac described the admission as a “chilling confession,” saying it showed that the communist armed group continues to assume the role of investigator, judge, and executioner without due process or legal authority. The victim was identified as Momarlito Alingasa, whom the NPA labeled as a police and military intelligence asset prior to claiming responsibility for his killing. The agency said incident reflects the continued practice of so-called “spy-tagging,” where individuals are accused of being informants or collaborators and are subsequently targeted for execution without trial. The task force said monitoring data from 2021 to May 2026 showed that 51 of 59 recorded spy-tagging killings nationwide occurred in the Negros Island Region, with 41 cases in Negros Occidental and 10 in Negros Oriental. It added that from January 2025 to May 2026 alone, 49 such killings were recorded in Negros. “These figures reveal a persistent pattern in which mere allegations are treated as death sentences,” the statement said, noting the absence of evidence, witnesses, or judicial proceedings in cases attributed to the NPA. The NTF-Elcac also criticized the armed group’s use of so-called “people’s courts,” which it said have no legal basis under Philippine law and operate outside constitutional processes. It said the NPA’s public justification of the killing reflects what it called a “parallel system of justice” enforced through armed coercion. The task force further called out what it described as a contradiction between the communist movement’s long-standing opposition to “red-tagging” and its own practice of labeling individuals as intelligence assets, which it said often leads to killings. “No armed group has the authority to act as investigator, prosecutor, judge, jury, and executioner,” the statement read, adding that ideological claims cannot justify violence or murder. NTF-Elcac Executive Director Ernesto Torres Jr. said the NPA’s admission demonstrated disregard for human rights and due process, stressing that such acts should not be normalized or excused. The task force also called on the Commission on Human Rights to investigate the killing, saying that consistency requires equal scrutiny for human rights violations regardless of the perpetrating group. It warned that silence on admitted killings could create a perception of unequal protection for victims. The agency likewise urged civil society groups, religious leaders, academic institutions, and other stakeholders to reject what it described as ideologically driven violence and extrajudicial punishments.

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